Celebrating The Best Of Urdu Poetry-_Khushwant_Singh

On a Kiss

Do not pout your lips at me like a half-opened rosebud from afar
All I ask you for is a kiss
Let your lips give me the answer:
‘It is done like this.’

Send for Me

Have mercy and send for me
Any time you so desire;
Time gone is forever gone, it’s true——
I am not time,
I can always return to you.

इख़तैयार िकए गए बेटे की मौत पे

लािज़म था की देखो मेरा रा ता कोई िदन और
तनहा गये य अब रहो तनहा कोई िदन और

जाते हु ये कहते हो क़यामत को िमलगे
या ख़बू क़यामत का है गोया कोई िदन और

तु म माह-ए-शब-ए-चार-दहु म थे मेरे घर के
िफर य न रहा घर का वह न शा कोई िदन और

मुझसे तु ह नफ़रत सही न यर से लड़ाई
ब च का भी देखा न तमाशा कोई िदन और

नादां ह जो कहते ह की य जीते हो ग़ािलब
िक़ मत म है मरने की तम ना कोई िदन और

Ikhtiyaar kiye gaye betey kee maut pey

Laazim thha ki dekho mera rastaa koi din aur
Tanha gaye kyon ab raho tanha koi din aur

Jaatey huey kehtey ho qayaamat ko milengey
Kya khoob qayaamat ka hai goya koi din aur

Tum mah-e-shab-e-char-dahum thhey merey ghar key
Phir kyon na rahaa ghar ka yey naqshaa koi din aur

Mujhsey tumhein nafrat sahi Nayyar sey ladaee
Bachchon ka bhee dekha na tamaasha koi din aur

Naadaan hain jo kehtey hain ki kyon jeetey ho Ghalib
Qismat mey hai marney kee tamanna koi din aur

On the Death of an Adopted Son

You should have waited for me a few days more.
Why did you leave alone? —now stay alone a few days more.

As you went away, you said, ‘We will meet on Judgement Day.’
Such illusions of Judgement I must live a few days more.

You were ever the full moon of my blighted home,
Why couldn’t it remain lit up a few days more?

You may despise me, You may hate everything that lights up my life;
You wouldn’t even abide the laughter of children a few days more.

They are fools who ask me, ‘Why do you go on living, Ghalib?’
It is my fate to long for death a few day more.

िज़ंदगी का सफ़र

रौ म है र श-ए-उमर् कहां देिखये थमे
नै हाथ बाग पर है न पा है रकाब म

Zindagi ka safar

Rau mein hai rakhsh-e-umr kahaan dekhiye thhamey
Naey haath baag par hai na paa hai rakaab mein

खु दा

न था कु छ तो खुदा था कु छ न होता तो खुदा होता
डु बोया मुझ को होने ने न होता म तो या होता

Khuda

Na thha kuchh to khuda thha kuchh na hota to khuda hota
Duboya mujh ko honey ney na hota main to kya hota

Life’s Journey

Life travels at a galloping pace, I know not where it will stop;
The reins are not in my hands, nor my feet in the stirrups.

On God

When there was nothing, there was God, had nothing existed there would
be God;

My being has been my ruin: tell me, had I not existed, what would be lost?

बु ढ़ापे की आह

िदल से ते री िनगाह िजगर तक उतर गई
दोन को इक अदा म रज़ाम द कर गई

वह बाड़ा-ए-शबाना की सरमि तयां कहां
उिठये बस अब की ल ज़त-ए- वाब-ए-सहर गई

देखो तो िदलफ़रे बी-ए-अंदाज़-ए-न श-ए-पा
मौज-ए-िख़राम-ए-यार भी या गु ल कतार गई

न ज़ारे ने भी काम िकया वां िनक़ाब का
म ती से हर िनगाह तेरे ख़ पर िबखर गई

फ़रदा-ओ-दी का ितफ़िरक़ा यक बार िमट गया
कल तु म गये की हं पे क़यामत गु ज़र गई

मारा ज़माने ने असदउ लाह खां तु ह
वह वलवले कहां वह जवानी िकधर गई

Burhapey kee aah

Dil sey teree nigaah jigar tak utar gaee
Dono ko ik adaa mein razaamand kar gaee

Voh baada-e-shabaana kee sarmastiyaan kahaan
Utthiye bas ab ki lazzat-e-khwaab-e-sahar gaee

Dekho to dilfarebee-e-andaaz-e-naqsh-e-paa
Mauj-e-khiraam-e-yaar bhee kya gul katar gaee

Nazzaarey ney bhee kaam kiya vaan niqaab ka
Mastee sey har nigah terey rukh par bikhar gaee

Farda-o-dee ka tifriqa yak baar mit gayaa
Kal tum gaye ki hum pey qayaamat guzar gaee

Maara zamaaney ney Asadullah Khan tumhein
Voh valvaley kahaan voh javaanee kidhar gaee

Lament of Old Age

Your gaze travelled from my heart to my core (in such a fashion)
That in one glance it was both my love and my passion.

Where has the headiness of youth’s evening drink gone?
It’s time to get up and go, gone are the sweet dreams of dawn.

This bewitching pattern of footprints—to whom do they belong?
Was it my beloved scattering rose petals as she went along?

My (very) vision blinded me like a veil
As every eye fell upon your face unveiled.

I cannot tell the difference between yesterday and today
Since you left, all are the same, everything falls away.

Asadullah Khan, time has taken its toll and left you for dead
What happened to all the carousels, where’s your youth fled?

ग़ज़ल १

यह न थी हमारी िक़ मत की िवसाल-ए-यार होता
अगर और जीते रहते यही इि तज़ार होता

तेरे वादे पर िजये हम जो यह जान झटू जाना
िक खु शी से मर न जाते अगर एतबार होता

कोई मेरे िदल से पछू े तेरे तीर-ए-नीमकश को
यह ख़िलश कहां से होती जो िजगर के पार होता

राग-ए-संग से टपकता वह लह ू िक िफर न थमता
िजसे ग़म समझ रहे हो यह अगर शरार होता

कहं ू िकससे म िक या है शब-ए-ग़म भरी बाला है
िमझे या बु रा था मरना अगर एक बार होता

Ghazal ƒ १

Yeh na thhee hamaree qismat ki visaal-e-yaar hota
Agar aur jeetey rehtey yahee intizaar hota

Terey vaadey par jiye hum jo yeh jaan jhoot jaana
Ki khushee sey mar na jaatey agar aitbaar hota

Koi merey dil sey poochhey terey teer-e-neemkash ko
Yeh khalish kahaan sey hotee jo jigar key paar hota

Rag-e-sang sey tapakta voh lahoo ki phir na thhamta
Jisey gham samajh rahey ho yeh agar sharaar hota

Kahoon kissey main ki kya hai shab-e-gham buree bala hai
Mujhey kya bura thha marnaa agar ek baar hota

Ghazal 1

To be united with the beloved was not writ in my fate,
Had I lived any longer, it would have been the same long wait.

I lived on your promises, I knew they were not true,
Would not I have died of joy had I believed in you?

Ask my heart about the pain of love and it will tell you
The half-drawn bow’s the assassin, not the arrow that pierces through.

The stone’s veins would burst and nothing would stem blood’s flow,
If these weren’t sparks of anger, but outpourings of my sorrow.

To whom can I speak of sorrows that come with the fading of light?
Death would be welcome, if it did not stand at my door every night.

उसे कौन दे ख सकता िक यगाना है वह यकता
जो दुई की ब ू भी होती तो कही ं दुचार होता

यह मसाइल-ए-तस वु फ़ यह तेरा बयान ग़ािलब
तु झे हम वली समझते जो न बादा वार होता

Usey kaun dekh sakta ki yagaana hai voh yakta
Jo dui kee boo bhee hotee to kaheen duchaar hota

Yeh masaail-e-tasawwuf yeh tera bayaan Ghalib
Tujhey hum valee samajhtey jo na baadaakhvar hota

She is unique, the only one, who can dare to gaze upon her?
Had there been a second remotely resembling her, had there been another!

Your concern with mystic problems, Ghalib, your language is such
You could have passed off for a saint, had you not drunk so much.

ग़ज़ल २

त की ं को हम न रोयेँ जो ज़ौक़-ए-नज़र िमले
हरू ान-ए-खु द म तेरी सरू त मगर िमले

अपनी गली म मुझको न कर द न बाद-ए-क़ ल
मेरे पते से ख़ क़ को य तेरा घर िमले

साक़ीगरी की शम करो आज वना हम
हर शब िपया ही करते ह मै िजस क़दर िमले

तु झसे तो कु छ कलाम नही ं लेिकन अय नदीम
मे रा सलाम किहयो अगर नामाबर िमले

तु मको भी हम िदखायेँ िक मजनं ू ने या िकया
फ़ु सत कशाकश-ए-ग़म-ए-िप हां से गर िमले

Ghazal „२

Taskeen ko hum na royein jo zauq-e-nazar miley
Hooraan-e-khuld mein teree soorat magar miley

Apnee galee mein mujhko na kar dafn baad-e-qatl
Merey patey sey khalq ko kyon tera ghar miley

Saqeegaree kee sharm karo aaj varnaa hum
Har shab piya hee kartey hain mai jis qadar miley

Tujhsey to kuch kalaam naheen lekin aye nadeem
Mera salaam kahiyo agar naamaabar miley

Tumko bhee hum dikhayein ki Majnoon ney kya kiya
Fursat kashaakash-e-gham-e-pinhaan sey gar miley

Ghazal 2

If I found the one I long to see, I would not cry for peace of mind
Among the houris of paradise, if one like you I’d find.

After destroying me do not bury me in the house in which you dwell,
Why should someone looking for my grave find your house as well?

Do not put to shame the wine server’s oath by which you’re bound,
Know that every evening I get my drink from wherever it is found.

Though we are not on talking terms, O my friend!
Through a trusty messenger convey the greetings that I send.

What Majnoon did I could do for you to see
If of pain and turmoil within me I could be set free.

लािज़म नही ं िक िख़ज़र् की हम पैरवी कर
माना िक इक बु ज़ुग हम हमसफ़र िमले

अय साकीनान-ए-कू चा-ए-िदलदार देखना
तु मको कही ं जो ग़ािलब-ए-आशु ता सर िमले

Laazim naheen ki Khizr kee hum pairavee karein
Maanaa ki ik buzurg hamein humsafar miley

Ai sakinaan-e-koocha-e-dildar dekhna
Tumko kaheen jo Ghalib-e-aashuftha sar miley

I do not have to seek the patronage of St Christopher
I know I have as fellow-traveller a wise elder.

Beware O you who dwell in my beloved’s street
Lest the love-crazed Ghalib you might meet.

ग़ज़ल ३

िकसी को देके िदल कोई नवा संज-ए-फ़ु ग़ां य हो
न हो जब िदल ही सीने म तो मुंह म ज़बां य हो

वह अपनी ख़ ू न छोड़गे हम अपनी वज़ा य बदल
सुबु क सर बन के या पछू िक हमसे सरिगरां य हो

िकया ग़म वार ने वा लगे आग इस मुह बत को
न लावे ताब जो ग़म की वह मेरा राज़दां य हो

वफ़ा कै सी कहां का इ क़ जब सर फोड़ना ठहरा
तो िफर अय संग िदल तेरा ही संग-ए-आ तां य हो

यह कह सकते हो हम िदल म नही ं ह पर यह बतलाओ
िक जब िदल म तु ही ं तु म हो तो आंख से िनहां य हो

Ghazal …३

Kisee ko dekey dil koi navaa sanj-e-fughaan kyon ho
Na ho jab dil hee seeney mein to phir munh mein zabaan kyon ho

Voh apnee khoo na chhorengey hum apnee vazaa kyon badlein
Subuk sar ban key kya puchhein ki humsey sargiraan kyon ho

Kiya ghamkhwar ney ruswa lagey aag is mohabbat ko
Na laavey taab jo gham kee voh mera raazdaan kyon ho

Wafa kaisee kahaan ka ishq jab sar phorna thehra
To phir aye sang dil tera hee sang-e-aastaan kyon ho

Ya kah saktey ho hum dil mein naheen hain par yeh batlao
Ki jab dil mein tumheen tum ho to aakhon sey nihaan kyon ho

Ghazal 3

Having willingly given away one’s heart to another, why should songs of
lament be sung?

When there’s no heart left in the ribcage, why should the mouth have a
tongue?

She will not cease to be arrogant, why should I lose my pride?
With bowed head must I ask, ‘Why me do you so much deride?’

It’s my friend and consoler who’s let me down, such love I’d gladly burn,
One who has no strength to share my sorrow, shouldn’t I her friendship

spurn?

What kind of loyalty, wherefore this love? It is my own head I have to
break

Then, O stone-hearted one, why at your threshold must I smash it for your
sake?

You are free to say I have no place in your heart, but tell me why
When you and only you live in my heart, you are hidden from my eye?

ग़लत है ज ब-ए-िदल का िशकवा देखो जु म िकस का है
न खेँचो गर तु म अपने को कशाकश दिरमयां य हो

यह िफ़तना आदमी की ख़ानावीरानी को या कम है
हु ये तु म दो त िजसके दु मन उसका आसमां य हो

िनकलता चाहता है काम या तान से त ू ग़ािलब
तेरे बेमेहर कहने से वह तु झ पर मेहरबां य हो

Ghalat hai jazb-e-dil ka shikva dekho jurm kis ka hai
Na khencho gar tum apney ko kashaakash darmiyaan kyon ho

Yeh fithna aadmi kee khaanaaveeraanee ko kya kam hai
Huey tum dost jiskey dushman uska aasmaan kyon ho

Nikaalaa chaahataa hai kaam kya taanon sey too Ghalib
Terey bemehar kehney sey voh tujh par mehrbaan kyon ho

Wrong is the stricken heart’s complaint, see who is the guilty one in this,
If you did not draw back, why would there be this tension between us?

Is not this devil in man enough to wreck life and fill it with woe?
One who has you for a friend, why need he ask for a foe?

O Ghalib, by taunts and complaints what do you hope to gain?
If you call her unkind, why expect her to be kind and remain?

ग़ज़ल ४

हु न-ए-मह गरचे ब हंगाम-ए-कमाल अ छा है
उससे मेरा मह-ए-खुशीद जमाल अ छा है

बोसा देते नही ं और िदल पे है हर लहज़ा िनगाह
जी म कहते ह िक मु त आये तो माल अ छा है

उनके देखे से जो आ ज़ाती है मुंह पर फ़ै ज़
इक बीराहमान ने कहा है िक यह साल अ छा है

देिखये पाते ह उ शाक़ बतू से या फ़ै ज
इक बीराहमन ने कहा है िक यह साल अ छा है

हम को मालमू है ज नत की हाक़ीक़त लेिकन
िदल के खुश रखने को ग़ािलब यह याल अ छा है

Ghazal †४

Husn-e-mah garchey ba hoongaam-e-kamaal achchhaa hai
Ussey mera mah-e-khursheed jamaal achchhaa hai

Bosa detey naheen aur dil pey hai har lehzaa nigaah
Jee mein kehtey hain ki muft aaye to maal achchhaa hai

Unkey dekhey sey jo aajaatee hai munh par raunaq
Voh samajhtey hain ki beemaar ka haal achchhaa hai

Dekhiye paatey hain ushshaaq buton sey kya faiz
Ik birahman ney kahaa hai ki yeh saal achchhaa hai

Hum ko maaloom hai jannat kee haqeeqat lekin
Dil ke khush rakhney ko Ghalib yeh khyaal achchhaa hai

Ghazal 4

Though beyond compare is the beauty of the full moon,
More beautiful is my beloved who shines like the sun at noon.

She will not let me kiss her but keeps her eyes on my heart to see:
She says to herself, ‘It is a good bargain if I get him for free.’

As my face lights up when I set eyes upon her
She thinks my illness has passed, I must be better.

Let us see what lovers get from the gods they hold dear,
A soothsayer predicts this will be a lucky year.

We all know the truth about paradise, I fear,
But Ghalib, the illusion keeps the heart in good cheer.

ग़ज़ल ५

िदल ही तो है न संग-ओ-िख़ त दद से भर न आये य
रोयेँगे हम हज़ार बार कोई हम सताये य

दैर नही ं हरम नही ं दर नही ं आ तां नहीं
बैठे ह रहगु ज़र पे हम कोई हम उठाये य

जब वह जमाल-ए-िदल फ़रोज़ सरू त-ए-मेहर-ए-नीमरोज़
आप ही हो न ज़ारा सोज़ पद म मुंह छु पाये य

क़ै द-ए-हयात-ओ-बंद-ए-ग़म असला मेन दोन एक है
मौत से पहले आदमी ग़म से िनजात पाये य

हां वह नही ं खुदा पर त जाओ वह बेवफ़ा सही
जसू को हो दी-ं ओ-िदल अज़ीज़ उसकी गली मेन जाये य

ग़ािलब-ए-ख़ ता के बग़ैर कौन से काम बंद ह
रोइये ज़ार-ज़ार या कीिजये हाय हाय य

Ghazal ‡५

Dil hee to hai na sang-o-khishth dard sey bhar na aaye kyon
Royenge hum hazaar baar koi humein sataaye kyon

Dair naheen haram naheen dar naheen aasthaan naheen
Baithey hain rehguzar pey hum ghair humein utthaye kyon

Jab voh jamaal-e-dil faroz soorat-e-mehr-e-neemroz
Aap hee ho nazzaara soz pardey mein munh chhupaaye kyon

Qaid-e-hayaat-o-band-e-gham asl mein dono ek hain
Maut sey pehley aadmi gham sey nijaat paaye kyon

Haan voh naheen khuda parast jaao voh bewafaa sahee
Jis ko ho deen-o-dil azeez uskee galee mein jaaye kyon

Ghalib-e-khastaa key baghair kaun sey kaam band hain
Roiye zaar-zaar kya keejiye haaye haaye kyon

Ghazal 5

It is my heart, not a thing of brick and stone, why can’t it sometimes fill
with pain?

A thousand tears will I shed and moan, why should you hurt me again and
again?

Not in a temple nor in a mosque; not at anyone’s door nor doorstep,
If I sit spent by a thoroughfare, why should anyone tell me to get up?

She is heart bewitching, resplendent as the sun at noon, but to understand
her I fail,

When she shows herself of her own will, why is her face hid behind a veil?

Life is like a prison, sorrows like fetters that bind;
Why before death should can anyone freedom find?

Granted she has no faith in God, she also does fidelity disdain,
Then he who holds God in his heart, why should he go down her lane?

Nothing in the world will stop when wretched Ghalib is absent
Why then shed copious tears, why then the loud lament?

ग़ज़ल ६

आह को चािहए इक असर होने तक
कौन जीता है तेरी जु फ़ के सर होने तक

दाम-ए-हर मौज मेन है ह क़ा-ए-सद काम िनहंग
देख या गु ज़रे है क़तरे पे गु हार होने तक

आिशक़ी सबर् तलब और तम ना बेताब
िदल का या रंग क ं ख़नू -ए-िजगर होने तक

हमने माना िक तग़ाफ़ु ल न करोगे लेिकन
ख़ाक हो जायेँगे हम तु मको ख़बर होने तक

ग़म-ए-ह ती का असद िकससे हो जु ज़ मग इलाज
शमा हर रं ग मे न जलती है सहर होने तक

Ghazal ६

Aah ko chaahiye ik umr asar honey tak
Kaun jeeta hai teree zulf key sar honey tak

Daam-e-har mauj mein hai halqaa-e-sad kaam nihang
Dekhein kya guzrey hai qatrey pey guhar honey tak

Aashiqee sabr talab aur tamannaa betaab
Dil ka kya rang karoon khoon-e-jigar honey tak

Hum ney maanaa ki taghaaful na karogey lekin
Khaak ho jaayengey hum tumko khabar honey tak

Gham-e-hastee ka Asad kissey ho juz marg ilaaj
Shamaa har rang mein jaltee hai sahar honey tak

Ghazal 6

A sigh of longing takes an age to be heard, if ever,
What man can live long enough to win you over?

A hundred crocodiles lie in ambush behind every wave and swirl
Come, look what a drop of water must endure, before it becomes a pearl.

Love demands patience; desire wants it now and must
What colour do I give my heart when to death bleeds my lust?

Of course, when I call for you, you will not let me down, but
By the the time you hear of my state, I may have turned to dust.

There is no cure for the sorrows of life but death: O Asad you must know
A candle flickers in different hues till it is dawn of the morrow.

HAKIM MOMIN KHAN MOMIN
(1801–1852)

Momin Khan Momin was born in Delhi into a family of Unani hakims. A
trained physician in his own right, his interests, besides poetry and medicine,
included chess, music and astrology. Unlike Zauq and Ghalib, Momin was
financially secure and did not need to depend on patronage. This might have
contributed to his spirit of independence. Momin was fluent in Urdu, Persian
and Arabic and had studied the Quran closely. Momin died following an
accident in which he fell off the roof of his house. He was fifty-one.

खामोश सच

कु छ लोग ह ख़ामोश
मगर सोच रहे ह
सच बोलगे तब
सच के जब दाम बढ़गे

Khaamosh such

Kuchh log hain khaamosh
Magar soch rahey hain
Such bolengey tab
Such key jab daam barhengey

बु त-परसती

उमर् सारी तो कटी इ क़-ए-बु तां म मोिमन
आिख़री व त म या ख़ाक मुसलमां ह गे

Buth parastee

Umr saaree to katee ishq-e-butaan mein Momin
Aakhree vaqt mein kya khaak Musalmaan hongey

Silent Truth

There are some who remain silent
But are sunk in deep surmise,
Yes, they will speak the truth,
But when the price of truth is on the rise.

Idolatry

Momin, in the love of idols and idolaters your life was spent,
Now that it ends, what hope do you have of being Muslim and repent?

हािज़र जवाबी

जब कहा मने की तु म बेदादगर ना आशना
बे मोह बत बे-वफ़ा बेगाना-ए-एहबाब हो
तो िफर उसने हंस के फरमाया की म जो हं ू सो हंू
तु म भी तो बेचैन हो बेसबर् हो बेताब हो

Haazir javaabee

Jab kahaa mainey ki tum bedaadgar na-aashnaa
Bey mohabbat bewafaa begaanaa-e-ehbaab ho
To phir usney hans key farmaaya ki main jo hoon so hoon
Tum bhee to bechain ho besabr ho betaab ho

तु ह याद हो की न याद हो

वो जो हमम तु मम क़रार था तु ह याद हो की न याद हो
वही यानी वादा िनबाह का तु ह याद हो की न याद हो
वह जो लु फ़ मुझपे थे पे तर वह करम की था मेरे हाल पर
मुझे सब है याद ज़रा-ज़रा तु ह याद हो की न याद हो

Tumhein yaad ho ki na yaad ho

Vo jo hummein tummein qaraar thha tumhein yaad ho ki na yaad ho
Vahee yaani vaadaa nibaah ka tumhein yaad ho ki na yaad ho
Vo jo lutf mujh pey thhey peshtar voh karam ki thhaa merey haal par
Mujhey sab hai yaad zaraa zaraa tumhein yaad ho ki na yaad ho

Riposte

When I said, ‘You are unjust, unfriendly, unloving, unfaithful and behave
like a stranger,’

She laughed and replied, ‘What I am I am! But you too are restless,
impatient and far too eager!’

Past Love

That faith we reposed in each other, you may remember or you may have
forgot.

Those promises we made to stick together, you may remember or you may
have forgot.

The favours you showed me, the kind eye you had for my state,
In bits and pieces I remember it all, you may remember or you may have

forgot.

NAWAB MIRZA KHAN DAAGH DEHLVI
(1831–––1905)

Nawab Mirza Khan Daagh was born in 1831 into Delhi aristocracy. He lost
his father when he was six and was brought up in the Red Fort by his
stepfather, Mirza Muhammed Fakhroo, heir to Bahadur Shah Zafar’s throne.
On Fakhroo’s death in 1865, Daagh left Delhi for Rampur where he entered
government service and lived in comfort for twenty-four years. He was poet
laureate at the court of the Nawab of Rampur. Thereafter followed a period of
wandering which ended when he was invited by the Nizam of Hyderabad in
1891.

Daagh’s forte was the ghazal, and the tone of his poems exuberant. He was a
self-acknowledged romantic and, contrary to the impression one gets from his
poetry, a teetotaler. Daagh’s work was extremely popular in his lifetime and
Iqbal sent him his compositions seeking his advice.

फासले

उज़र् आने म भी है और बु लाते भी नहीं
बाइसे -तक-मु लाक़ात बताते भी नहीं

ख़बू पदा है की िचलमन से लगे बैठे ह
साफ़ छु पते भी नही ं सामने आते भी नहीं

हो चु का क़ता-तअ लुक़ यो जफ़ाएं य ह
िजनको मतलब नही ं रहता वो सताते भी नहीं

ज़ी त से तंग हो ऐ दाग़ तो जीते य हो
जान यारी भी नही ं जान से जाते भी नहीं

Faasley

Uzr aaney mein bhee hai aur bulaatey bhee naheen
Baais-e-tark-e-mulaaqaat bataatey bhee naheen

Khoob pardaa hai key chilman sey lagey baitthey hain
Saaf chhuptey bhee naheen saamney aatey bhee naheen

Ho chukaa qataa taa’lluq to jafaayen kyon ho
Jinko matlab naheen rehtaa vo sataatey bhee naheen

Zeest sey tang ho ai Daagh to jeetey kyon ho
Jaan pyaaree bhee naheen jaan sey jaatey bhee naheen

Distance

She hesitates to come to me, nor does she invite me to her door
Or tell me why we’ve stopped seeing each other as before.

She sits at a distance with her face partly veiled so I can’t see
Nor does she sit in front, facing me.

When our love affair is over, why inflict pain?
Those who have nothing more to do with you should desist from torture, it

is in vain

If you are bored of living, Daagh, why go on so long?
If you don’t enjoy life, why then carry on.

सवाल

रसमे-उ फ़त सीखा कोई
िदल की दु िनया पे छा गया कोई

ता क़यामत िकसी तरह न बु झे
आग ऐसी लगा गया कोई

िदल की दुिनया उजाड़ सी य है
या यहां से चला गया कोई

व ते- सत गले लगाकर दाग़
हंसते हंसते ला गया कोई

Savaal

Rasm-e-ulfat sikhaa gayaa koee
Dil kee duniyaa pey chhaa gayaa koee

Taa qayaamat kisee tarah na bujhey
Aag aisee lagaa gayaa koee

Dil kee duniyaa ujaad see kyoon hai
Kyaa yahaan sey chalaa gayaa koee

Vaqt-e-rukhsat galey lagaa kar Daagh
Hastey hastey rulaa gayaa koee

Questions

Someone taught me the rites of love
Someone filled my heartspace from above.

Someone lit a fire that won’t die
Till the world spins to eternity.

Why is my heart a desert waste,
Now that someone has gone, leaving it desolate.

Who left you, Daagh, with a happy embrace
While you remained with a tear-stained face.

AKBAR HUSSAIN AKBAR ALLAHABADI
(1846–––1921)

Akbar was born in Bara, near Allahabad. He was a scholarly, readywitted and
affable man with a sharp sense of humour which became the hallmark of his
poetry. Akbar was conservative in his views. He opposed Westernization of
Indian society. Though he supported the segregation of women and believed
in purdah, he championed the cause of education for women.

काग़जी पढ़ाई

बाग़ म तो बहार दर त की देख ली
कॉलेज म आ के क वोके शन को देिखये
लीम ू तो काग़जी बहु त देखे ह आपने
अब काग़जी तर की-ए-नेशन को देिखये

Kaaghazi parhaai

Baaghon mein to bahaar darakhton kee dekh lee
College mein aa key convocation ko dekhiye
Leemoo to kaaghazee bahut dekhey hain aapney
Ab kaaghazee taraqqee-e-nation ko dekhiye

दीन की बात

मज़हबी बहस मने की ही नहीं
फ़ालत ू अ ल मुझ म थी ही नहीं

Deen kee baatein

Mazhabee bahas meiney kee hee naheen
Faaltoo aql mujh mein thhee hee naheen

वकील

पैदा हु आ वकील तो इबलीस ने कहा
लो आज हम भी सािहबे -औलाद हो गये

Vakeel

Paida hua vakeel to Iblees ney kahaa
Lo aaj hum bhee saahib-e-aulaad ho gaye

Paper Learning

In gardens you must have seen trees in seasonal glory
Now come and see a college convocation.
Lemons with paper-thin skins you must have seen in plenty
Now behold the paper-progress of the nation.

Religious Debates

To involve myself in religious debates, I never did care
I never had, nor have any brains to spare.

Lawyers

The day a lawyer was born Satan said with joy
‘Allah has made me today the father of a boy.’

दीनदार शराबी

साग़र-ए-मय है सामने शौख़ से कह रहे है म सब
देखता या है हर तरफ़ मद-ए-खुदा चढ़ा भी जा

Deendaar sharaabi

Saaghar-e-mai hai saamney shaikh sey keh rahey hain sab
Dekhta kya hai har taraf mard-e-khuda charha bhee ja

ख़ु दाई

हर ज़रा चमकता है अनवार-ए-इलाही से
हर सासं ये कहती कई है हम ह तो खुदा भी है

Khudaee

Har zarraa chamaktaa hai anvar-e-ilaahee sey
Har saans ye kehtee hai hum hain to khuda bhee hai

खु दा का नाम

रक़ीब ने रपट िलखवाई है जा जा के थाने म
की अकबर नाम ले ता है खु दा का इस जमाने म

Khuda ka naam

Raqeebon ney rapat likhvaee hai jaa jaa key thhaaney mein
Ki Akbar naam leta hai khuda ka is zamaney mein

Holy Bibber

The jug of wine lies before the sheikh as well as the cup
‘Why look here and there, man of God? Bottoms up!’

Being God

Every mote of dust is aglow with divine light for you to see
Every breath you take proclaims, ‘If I am, so God must be.’

The Name of God

My rivals have lodged complaints against me in police stations for the
crime

That Akbar continues to take the name of God in the present age and time.

SHAAD AZIMABADI
(1846–1927)

Not much is known about Shaad Azimabadi. He was born Syed Ali
Muhammad in Patna which is where he also died.

कहां से कहां को

सुनी िहकायते-ह ती
तो दरिमयाम से सु नी
न इ तदा की ख़बर है
न इ तहा मालमू

Kahaan sey kahaan ko

Sunee hikaayat-e-hastee
To darmiyaan sey sunee
Na ibtidaa kee khabar hai
Na intihaa maaloom

दिरया-ए-मुह बत

म है रत-ओ-हसरत का मारा
ख़ामोश खड़ा हं ू सािहल पर
दिरया-ए-मुह बत कहता है
आ कु छ भी नही ं पायाब ह हम

Dariya-e-mohabbat

Main hairat-o-hasrat ka maaraa
Khaamosh khara hoon saahil par
Dariyaa-e-mohabbat kehta hai
Aa kuchh bhee naheen paayaab hain hum

Where from, Where to

When I woke to the story of life
It was already the middle of the tale,
I know nothing of the beginning
I'll know nothing of the end.

The River of Love

Overcome by wonder and longing
I stand in silence by the shore
The river of love beckons and says to me,
‘I am only knee-deep, fear no more.’

येह कू चा

हं ू इस कू चे के हर ज़र से वािक़फ़
यहां से मु त आया गया हंू

Yeh koocha

Hoon is koochey key har zarrey sey vaaqif
Yahaan sey muddaton aayaa gayaa hoon

तम नाएं

तम नाओं मेम उलझाया गया हंू
िखलौने दे के बहलाया गया हंू

Tamannaayen

Tamannaaon mein uljhaayaa gayaa hoon
Khilauney dey key behlaayaa gayaa hoon

This Lane

Every speck of dust on this lane I know
For ages it has been my way to and fro.

Web of Desire

In the web of desires I have been caught
With the gift of toys have I been bought.

MOHAMMAD IQBAL
(1873–1938)

Sir Mohammed Iqbal, MA Philosophy (Punjab), Ph.D (Heidelberg) and
Barrister at law (London), also received doctorates in literature and
philosophy from many other universities. He is recognized as the inheritor of
Ghalib and the second-most renowned poet of Urdu. Like many of his
predecessors, he wrote in both Urdu and Persian. The message he sought to
convey is usually described as khudi— selfhood or self-assertion to achieve
one’s aims. Iqbal was an ardent supporter of a separate, independent state for
Indian Muslims, and is regarded as one of the founding fathers of Pakistan.
He was obsessed with religion, mainly Islam. Early in his poetic career, he
composed ‘Shikva’ (The Mortal’s Complaint to Allah), and ‘Javaabe- Shikva’
(Allah’s Reply to the Mortal’s Complaint) on the rise and downfall of the
Muslim people.

Iqbal’s tomb, close to the Badshahi Mosque in Lahore, is a national shrine.

इ तेहान

खुदा से हु न ने इक रोज़ यह सवाल िकया
जहां म य न मुझे तनू े लाज़वाल िकया
िमला जवाब की त वीरख़ाना है दुिनया
शब-ए-दराज़ अदम का फ़साना है दु िनया
हु ई है रंग-ए-तग़ यु र से जब नमदू इसकी
वही हसी ं है हक़ीक़त ज़वाल है िजसकी
कही ं क़रीब था ये गु तग ू क़मर ने सुनी
फ़लक पे आम हु ई अ तर-ए-सहर ने सुनी
सहर ने तारे से सुनकर सुनाई शबनम को
फ़लक की बात दी ज़मी ं के महरम को
भर आये फू ल के आंस ू पयाम-ए-शबमान से
कली का न हा-सा िदल खनू हो गया ग़म से
चमन से रोता हु आ मौसम-ए-बहा गया
शबाब सै र को आया था सोगवार गया

Imtehaan

Khuda sey husn ney ik roz yeh savaal kiya
Jahaan mein kyon na mujhey tooney laazavaal kiya
Mila javaab ki tasveerkhaanaa hai duniya
Shab-e-daraaz adam ka fasaana hai duniya
Huee hai rang-e-taghayyur sey jab namood iskee
Vahee haseen hai haqeeqat zavaal hai jiskee
Kaheen qareeb thha ye guftagoo qamar ney sunee
Falak pey aam huee akhtar-e-sahar ney sunee
Sahar ney taarey sey sunkar sunaaee shabnam ko
Falak kee baat bataa dee zameen key mahram ko
Bhar aaye phool key aansoon payaam-e-shabnam sey
Kalee ka nanha sa dil khoon ho gayaa gham sey

Chaman sey rotha hua mausam-e-bahaar gayaa
Shabaab sair ko aaya thha sogvaar gayaa